


I Am Iron Man...'s Soulmate

by CatrinaSL



Series: Everything is the Same, Except Different [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 06:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6893821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toni's Soulmate appears after a failed press conference.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Am Iron Man...'s Soulmate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tvj12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvj12/gifts).



> tvj12's idea inspired this fic!
> 
> Soulmark AU Reminder: Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them. Showing someone else your Soulmark is like baring your soul to them, so most people only show their Soulmate or very trusted friends.
> 
> Everything is the Same Except Different AU Reminder: This is a Genderswapped AU. All the women are men, and all the men are women.

Agent Philippa Coulson was a bombshell. If Toni could see it, so could Pepper. She kept her eyes on him as Coulson briefed them, something about a cover story on her yacht. 

Toni smiled; Pepper only had eyes for her. He bustled around, removing the butterfly bandage from her eyebrow, fastening a conservative necklace around her neck. The press loved it when Toni wore conservative jewelry; it set them off talking about who could have given it to her. Toni would rather they talk about her genius, but no press is bad press.

Coulson was mid-sentence about ‘a sufficient number of witnesses’ when Toni interrupted: "I was thinking maybe it could just be me and Pepper on my yacht," she said, her eyes on her assistant's back as he reached for her jacket nearby.

Coulson sighed and thrust the white three by fives into Toni's hand. "Just stick to the cards, Ms. Stark," she insisted, and stalked out of the room.

Toni regarded the cards with disgust, but was pleased at finally being left alone with Pepper. 

"You ever think about that night, Pep?" she asked, as Pepper stood before her, adjusting her appearance.

His eyes found hers, and softened from their usual professional cool to something... warmer. He smiled a little. "Are you talking about... the night we danced?"

Toni nodded.

"And then we went up on the roof..."

Toni smiled, hoping this conversation would lead to a better conclusion than it had that night.

"And then you went downstairs to get me a drink, and you…” Pepper's eyes went flat, along with his voice. “Left me there. By myself. Is that the night you’re talking about?"

Toni's face fell.

"I thought so. Will that be all, Ms. Stark?"

Toni straightened, allowing Pepper's professionalism to fall between them. "Yes, that will be all, Mr. Potts," she said. Pepper gathered his things and exited.

Toni took a deep breath, trying to calm her recently stirred nerves. The press would pick up on it if she went out there when she was still upset.

An angel named Coulson suddenly reappeared. "We changed our minds;" she informed Toni. "Take this."

She held out a tiny pink piece of plastic.

"Is this what I think it is?" Toni asked. She didn’t like being handed things, so she mimed putting it in her ear. 

Coulson nodded. "We'll be able to feed you your lines if you need them, but you'll have to ignore whatever chatter is on the comms."

Toni shrugged. "I don't need a G-man in my head."

"Just put it on," Coulson urged. "That way, if you do get the urge to improvise, we can help."

Toni rolled her eyes and tilted her neck toward Coulson, allowing the agent to stick the communication thing in her ear.

"She playing ball, Coulson?" came a feminine voice.

"Cut the chatter, Barton," Coulson warned, with a finger to her own ear. Then she leveled a look at Toni. "You ready?” Toni nodded. “Then let's do this."

Toni tossed her hair over one shoulder and strode out onto the stage. It was one of her larger press conferences. She hadn't done one in a while... the last was probably when she'd gotten home. Abby had been there. And  _ now _ , according to the cards, she was allegedly dying in a plane crash.

Toni sighed. She hadn't had time to process everything that had happened, but here, she was in her element. She could do this.

Rhodey stood at the podium and informed the press that she would be making a statement, but not taking any questions. Toni reached out and squeezed the other woman's arm, giving her a friendly smile. Rhodey always looked good in her dress blues.

Toni took a deep breath and turned that smile on the press. "Been a while," she reminded them. "Think I'll stick to the cards this time." She waved her prop at them and elicited a laugh. Then she applied herself to the pre-written speech and started reading.

She only got a few sentences in when she looked up and spotted "Mr. Brown" sitting in the front row. What was his name again? The reporter she'd slept with, who Pepper had booted out of her place, who'd put her onto Abby in the first place. He just sat there, smiling. Not taking notes, not recording her speech, nothing. Just giving her a look like he knew something she didn't. 

Again.

Toni took another deep breath.

He took her pause as invitation to ask a question. "Excuse me, Ms. Stark, but do you really expect us to believe it was a body guard who  _ conveniently _ appeared—"

Toni cut him off. "I know it's confusing," she said, suddenly spotting Coulson standing at the back of the room next to a dark haired man she hadn't met. Coulson made eye contact, then rolled her wrist:  _ keep going _ .

"I know there are a lot of wild theories out there about this... superhero—"

"I never said 'superhero,'" Mr. Brown reminded her.

"You didn't? Of course you didn't; that would be outlandish, and... fantastic."

Rhodey leaned in and growled, "Just stick to the cards, T," shooting Toni a warning look as she leaned away again.

"Right." Toni frowned at her, then turned back to the press and held up the cards; she was determined not to go off-script. "The truth is," she read, her eyes on the man next to Coulson, "the truth is..." The cards lowered themselves onto the podium.

"Ms. Stark," came Coulson's worried voice in her ear.

But Toni wasn't going to turn back now. Everything would be better if it was out in the open. "I am Iron Man," she admitted.

The room erupted. Reporters jockeyed for her attention, shouting questions she couldn't decipher. Cameras flashed. "Mr. Brown" just sat there, a small smirk on his face. Rhodey put an exasperated hand over her eyes. Coulson shook her head.

And then there was a scoff in Toni's ear, and she heard the Words traced across her stomach and etched into her soul: "You want anybody but these jokers to believe that, you'd better make sure the next one has your curves."

But who had said it? Toni looked wildly at Coulson as Rhodey hustled her off the stage,  and she heard Coulson's, "Really?" managing to see that it was directed at the brunette beside her.

Toni yanked the earpiece out of her ear as soon as Rhodey closed the door, and headed straight for the other door to run off to find Coulson. 

But Rhodey was already lecturing. "What the hell, T?" she asked. "'I am Iron Man?' Seriously?"

Toni was unconcerned. "They would have found out eventually anyway," she said dismissively, heading for the other door.

"No, they wouldn't have," Rhodey argued, "Because you're going to turn that suit over to the government!"

"Actually, I was thinking of keeping it," Toni informed her, managing to postpone the search for her Soulmate for the moment in the face of Rhodey's infuriating assumption.

Rhodey opened her mouth to argue back, but at that moment the door opened and Coulson entered, followed by Toni's Soulmate.

Toni forgot the argument and let her eyes run over him, ignoring Coulson's lecture: "That was  _ not _ part of the plan, Ms. Stark."

Her Soulmate wasn't necessarily someone who would normally have turned her head, but Toni Stark did not have a type. Unless it was "breathing." He smiled beneath her scrutiny and Toni's eyes found his.

Coulson sighed. "This is Agent Lewis," she said. "He'd like to apologize for his comments."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ms. Stark," her Soulmate assured her.

Toni waved a hand.  _ No offense taken. _

"But surely you realize the position this admission puts you in," he continued.

Toni smiled. "I'm known for my honesty." She held out a hand. "So you'll know I'm being completely truthful when I say that it's very nice to finally meet you, Soulmate."

The entire world stopped as he put his hand in hers, and Toni couldn't hear Rhodey's squeak of "Soulmate?" or Coulson's groan. 

All she could see was her Soulmate's smile and the way he looked at her when he said, "It's nice to meet you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/144603385063/amazing-rule-63-art-by-nottonyharrisonart-i-am)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


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